Florida zoo celebrates birth of endangered clouded leopards

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Two endangered clouded leopards have been born at a zoo in Naples, Florida.

The Naples Daily News reports the Naples Zoo announced the Feb. 22 births of the female kittens on Thursday, adding that it plans to announce their names next week.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists clouded leopards as endangered, with the cats’ population suffering from encroaching human activity, poaching and habitat destruction. The zoo says it’s difficult to say exactly how many of the cats, which are native to Southeast Asia, remain in the wild.

It says the kittens are being bottle-fed and hand-reared by staff, a practice it says has proven to have the best results in terms of kitten health.